U.S. residential electricity EIA data: July 2026 US average 18.3¢/kWh Updated
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Entertainment · Washington

How Much Does It Cost to Run a Gaming PC in Washington?

The short answer

Running a 500W gaming PC in Washington costs about $0.07 an hour. At 4 hours a day, that’s roughly $8.95 a month and $107 a year.

Washington’s average residential rate was 14.7¢ per kWh in July 2026 (EIA), 20% below the US average.

Source: U.S. EIA, July 2026 data · Updated

Gaming PC cost by daily use in Washington

Cost at 14.7¢/kWh, the Washington average (EIA, Jul 2026)
Daily usekWh/monthPer dayPer monthPer year
1 hour/day 15.2 $0.07 $2.24 $26.85
2 hours/day 30.4 $0.15 $4.47 $53.69
4 hours/day 60.8 $0.29 $8.95 $107
8 hours/day 121.7 $0.59 $17.90 $215
12 hours/day 182.5 $0.88 $26.85 $322
24 hours/day 365.0 $1.77 $53.70 $644

Washington vs other states

At typical use, a gaming PC costs $107 a year in Washington — $243 less than in Hawaii and $14.53 more than in Louisiana.

Washington has the 13th-cheapest residential electricity of the 50 states and DC. electricity prices in Washington · all states ranked

Electricity price trend in Washington

14.7¢/kWh in July 2026 — ▲ +9.4% from a year earlier.

How to lower the cost of running a gaming PC

A gaming PC's power draw depends on the GPU and CPU and on how demanding the game is. A mid-range build typically pulls around 400–500W from the wall during gaming, while high-end systems with top-tier graphics cards can exceed 700–800W. Idle and desktop use is much lower, often 60–120W. The monitor adds another 30–80W.

  • Cap frame rates to your monitor's refresh rate — rendering frames you can't see wastes power.
  • Use your GPU's power-limit or efficiency settings for a large power cut with a small performance loss.
  • Set the PC to sleep after 15–30 minutes of inactivity.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to run a gaming PC for 24 hours in Washington?

Running a 500W gaming PC for 24 hours uses about 12.0 kWh, which costs about $1.77 at Washington’s average rate of 14.7¢/kWh.

How many kWh does a gaming PC use per month?

At 4 hours a day, a typical gaming PC uses about 60.8 kWh a month. In Washington that costs $8.95.

Is it expensive to run a gaming PC in Washington?

Washington has the 13th-cheapest residential electricity of the 50 states and DC at 14.7¢/kWh — cheaper than most. Running a gaming PC here costs about $107 a year at typical use, compared with $134 at the national average rate.

What is the electricity rate in Washington right now?

The average residential electricity rate in Washington was 14.7¢ per kWh in July 2026, according to the latest EIA data — up 9.4% from a year earlier.

Does a gaming PC use more electricity than a console?

Usually yes. A typical gaming PC draws 2–3 times more than a PS5 or Xbox Series X while gaming.

Gaming PC costs in nearby states

Cheapest and priciest states

Comparisons

Sources & method